Sword of Ledestar
by Draskias
Summary: The coming of the Zoniliads causes the destruction of the most prestigious city in the land. The next place they'll hit is Ledestar. Sakura is the only one that can save this kingdom. Will she choose the right path?
1. Inroduction

Hey all and welcome to my first fanfic ever submitted to this site! It's not my very first fic ever written though, so don't get the wrong idea here. I know that this chapter is very short, but I just wanted to get some feedback before I continue.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. CLAMP does. And that's good. Cuz they rock my socks. And clean my clocks. On with the show!  
  
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The forest floor was darker than the black sky above the treetops. The light that revealed the path only came forth when the clouds slipped from the face of the full moon and the twinkling stars. The atmosphere was a quiet one, seemingly evil and ready to strike. Her mission was unknown to even the all-knowing wind the whipped her face. The only sound was the beating of her heart, in time with the fast patter of her feet on the forest floor. She was of strong heart and mind; the darkness would not overtake her. Would she make it in time?  
She reached the edge of the forest an hour later, only to look upon a peaceful meadow of wildflowers, now revealed by the coming sun. She couldn't rest, not yet, not when the entire kingdom depended on her. I can't be seen, the girl thought to herself. She hesitated to think for a second, then fell to her knees and started crawling through the high grasses. The hunters on the edge of the forest didn't even see her. But in their drunken state, it was only to be expected. Better to have bruised knees then to be dead.  
Reaching the edge of the meadow was harder than it sounded. It took over two hours to crawl all the way across. It seemed like longer. Not only did she ruin her party clothes, but she lost precious time hiding from the hunters. Finally coming to the edge, and the opening to the Royal Forest, she leapt up and sprinted into the wood. Only a few more hours...  
It was as if she had slept a month and a half over when the sun came up, replenishing her energy and her spirit, causing her to run faster down the path. Her breathing slowed from the rasping huffs and puffs. "Oh, where's the end?" she whispered to the oak trees. Hoof beats sounded ominously from further down the dirt path. "For all the Gods!!" Anger overcame her desperation at being stalled fro her errand. She dashed into the bushes and waited with her bow drawn.  
"What?! The Royal Cavalry?" Lines and lines of horses clad in black and gold galloped hurriedly down through the dust. At the head rode an important-looking man wearing armor and countless razor-sharp weapons. In his hand he held a sword. "Is that....? It can't be? I thought that was destroyed years ago!" The girl stepped out into the path with a confused look and a voice of steel.  
"Halt, Cavalry! I am a friend of your king, on my way to complete an errand with him."  
"I say! I know nothing of you. Is this errand one involving a dagger?" The man in the lead looked surprisingly familiar, but angry nonetheless.  
Insulted, she spat on the ground in front of his horse. "I said I was a friend, sir."  
"Friend or foe, tell me who you are and what you want with the late king of Ledestar."  
"My name is Sakura Kinomoto, a sorceress from the city of Jadelink. I have come to tell you of your demise."  
  
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So, what do you think? Please review, or you are evil. But I guess that's ok too, because then you wear dark clothes and have a really long cape and carry an awesome sword. But really, review. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Back in Town

Disclaimer: You already know about that. If not, you are blind. See chapter 1.  
  
On with Chapter 2!!!  
  
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The wind that rattled the forest branches struck a chill through the men's armor. Grey rain started pelting their helmets. This girl, Kinomoto, a sorceress from Jadelink? That was the most prestigious and notorious school of sorcery throughout the whole land. And a GIRL had passed its countless tests? No doubt she was of the worst of her rank. But what struck the horsemen the most was her message about the downfall of Ledestar. It was impossible! No man could break through the city's 60- foot tall stone walls, with its huge door of hard, cold steel.  
"The only way to penetrate Ledestar is through the top. And unless this enemy can fly, I'd say that we're on safe ground," a soldier called out. His mates laughed at the proposition.  
"He's right, mi'lady. Unless of course you've got Zoniliads in mind," the man at the front relayed to her. The men laughed in her face again.  
Zoniliads were long dead. These flying birds of prey were the ones that had caused the ancient kingdoms to fall. They feasted on the cold, dead hearts of mankind.  
Sakura gave him a dark look. "I wouldn't be laughing, gentlemen." She swept out a bowl from the pack she carried and caught the gently falling rain. "Look here, leader of the cavalry."  
She held out the bowl for the man to see. Dipping her fingers into the water, she swirled them around and called to the wind with her mind. "Show me the Zoniliads!"  
The water erupted into a vivid picture of Keislera, a country of great wealth and fortune. The pitch black sky showed signs of death and destruction.  
The head man gasped and turned ghost white. "It...it can't be!"  
"Oh, it is. They struck late last night when the guards were switching watches. I won't be surprised if they get here in four days' time."  
The huge bat-like creatures in the bowl devoured sheep, pigs, men; anything they could get their filthy claws on. The closest one dined on a lost child, ripping its flesh with its jagged beak. It looked up. Its blood red eyes were filled with a supreme hate so horrible that it sent shivers all the way down the sorceress' spine. The queen of the flock stared directly into Sakura's eyes. She let out an ear-splitting screech and tore her claws out of the child's flesh, taking to the air. She left the carrion in the swirling dust below.  
"You'd better make that three. She saw us." Sakura quickly drew a spiral on the surface of the trembling water. The picture blanked out and only a crystal clear solution remained in its stead. The men around her looked as grey as the sunless sky. "Take me to the king."  
  
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They brought her into the Great Hall of Kings, a huge high-ceilinged room with towering marble pillars. Sakura walked past the mahogany chairs and along the golden carpet leading to the throne. She glanced above her head and smirked. It's still there, she thought. She was proud of the arrow that she accidentally shot into the base of the crystal chandelier. That's one of the things that got me kicked out of here. The guards were surprised at her. Usually when a girl is taken to see the king, she's intimidated. But Kinomoto looked as calm as stone, as cool as lake water. Sakura lifted her head and fixed her gaze on the man sitting in the high- backed throne. Nothing could faze her.  
The four guards at her sides bowed to the king and left without another word. She was a little surprised at this, though. They didn't even know her! Why put the king in the same room as an armed sorceress? She bowed stealthily to her king, keeping her eyes on his. She unsheathed her sword and set it down in front of him, finally bowing her head.  
"My king, I have come to give you news of a terrible war in the north. Keislera has been overrun by Zoniliads since the first of last week. I bring this sword as proof of their existence, of their terrible being." Sakura fixed her gaze on him. "They will be upon this city in three days." She stood up straight and looked the king over as he pondered her news. He looked exactly the same. Maybe a little bit more mature, a couple years older. Definitely more handsome.  
The king totally ignored what she had just said. "Sakura, how nice of you to come back after all these years." The king's deep voice brought Sakura back to the old days.  
Maybe he's taking my news as a joke? "Did you miss me?" She smirked. How could he not? They had been best friends before she was kicked out of the city.  
"As a matter of fact, it drove me insane when you left. I never forgave my father."  
Really... but the present king and the one before him had been as close as anyone could imagine. "What happened?" She would wait until later to tell her report again.  
The king stood up, looking down at her. "He died of a heart attack a few years after you left. He was already a shell of his former self at that time. During those few years between your exile and his death, he became a miser. You know, he only wanted you gone so that you wouldn't interfere with my reign." He glanced up at her. "Don't blame him for making you leave. It was my fault in its entirety."  
"Oh, don't even give me that crap. Of course it was his fault. He was the one that sighed the paper, wasn't he? You didn't. You had no choice in the matter. Even if you tried to stop it, he probably would have cut you down like he did with your mother. Even if she did sleep with a gypsy, it doesn't mean that she was in her right mind. We all know that she was hypnotized into it. She was devastated after the fact. You know it better than I do. And your father knows it better than both of us. The only conclusion I could come up with was that he wanted to keep up a good reputation. Well, I think he made it worse by having her beheaded."  
"You're just lucky he didn't have you beheaded, too."  
"Even if he tried that, I had enough contacts to get of there alive."  
"You would have been able to do it yourself." His smirk was back. "So, what have you been doing for eight years? It's been really boring around here without you."  
Sakura laughed. "I traveled for about three years until I came across the Jadelink School of Sorcery. I had nothing else to do, so I was like, Hey, what the hell? So I developed my powers to an extent that no one has ever reached. Now I'm the most powerful spell-casting, mountain- trekking, Zoniliad-killing warrior on this side of country. Looks like all that fooling around back in school paid off."  
"Ya, like the time you shot that arrow up into my dad's chandelier. I didn't know you could use magic until then. No wonder you were able to hit something up so high."  
"Hey, now I can shoot that far even without magic," Sakura protested.  
"I know, I know." The king's mischievous brown eyes sparkled. "You know, you look a lot better since last I saw you."  
"So do you, Syaoran." She studied him. He was about a head taller than she was now; his dark brown hair was cut short, framing his handsome face. His smile was a welcome sight to Sakura, whose last sight of him was a teary-eyed youth being chased by half of the Royal Cavalry. His amazing brown eyes sparkled when he was laughing, and had tremendous depth when he wasn't.  
Syaoran, on the other hand, was in total awe of the girl that stood before him. From his calculations, she would be 24. Sakura had definitely grown up. She had this war-hardened look when she was in her own world, looking like she was remembering sights that she didn't want to remember. Syaoran could only imagine what they were. Her emerald eyes sparked with an inner fire of determination, and her smile dazzled him. True, he had been in love with her when she left, but he thought that it was over and done with. He had forgotten what love felt like.  
"Now about what I really came here about..." Sakura started.  
"Can you explain the situation any further?" Syaoran took on a serious look.  
"I was practicing using my Sight on the lands surrounding Jadelink, and I came across Keislera in all its shining glory. Everyone knows that she has the most powerful army in the land, not to mention the highest, thickest walls ever built by mankind. I watched the children play in the street, watched the mothers doing laundry, watched the men tend to their shops, when all of a sudden, the sky turned pitch black. I've studied everything I can find about the attacks on the Ancient Cities of the Ledestar Region. The skies were as dark as midnight, in the middle of the day! The buildings of Keislera were bombarded with huge, flaming balls of destruction as big as the cannons on your walls. Then I saw the Zoniliads. They came down upon the city and the people, screaming like the world was going to end. People were ripped from burning buildings, children plucked off the streets. When they were done a half hour later, there was no living soul to be found."  
Syaoran was dazed, she could tell. His eyes held an expression of horror. "How can this be? The Zoniliads were put away long ago, shut down beneath the thickest part of the earth by the Kings of Ancient Ledestar. The only one that can save the lands now is the keeper of the Sword of Ledestar, the living descendant of the first Ancient King."  
Sakura held his eyes with her own. "I know what I must do, Syaoran. I only came here to say goodbye." Sakura's grave, determined face revealed the seriousness of the situation.  
"Sakura, you can't do this! I'll send someone else in your place. I'll find the most skilled warrior in the country, I'll – "  
"Do what? You can't do anything, Syaoran. Damn it! I'm the most skilled warrior in the country! I'm the only one that can do this. I'm the descendant of the first Ancient King. There's nothing you can do." Sakura held back tears. If she knew that he cared so much, she never would have come. Wouldn't it be better if she died and he didn't know about it?  
"Sakura, let me come with you."  
"Absolutely not. There is no possible way. You have your kingdom! Your people! Your life! You can't just drop everything and run to your death."  
"You are."  
"You forget. I don't have any obligations, except for this one. I've spent all of my life training so that I could uphold the honor of the sword that lay in front of me. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to run from it. It was my choice to take it, and it's my choice to die. I don't have anything to hold on to, no promises to anything or anybody, no reason to be living except to defend what this sword stands for. What I stand for." Sakura was about to lose the control over herself. If he didn't lay off, she would have to knock him out and make a run for it!  
"Oh, and I don't count as an obligation? You don't care about me? What are best friends for, after all? I'm not about to allow you to go into danger, maybe not even to come back. Besides, the country needs you. I need you." Syaoran was gripping the throne so hard that his knuckles were white.  
"I can see that coming back was a mistake. Please get your armies ready in case I don't pull through. Get out all of the women and children and take them as far south as you dare. Just don't let the Zoniliads take this city. And most important of all, don't come after me." Sakura sheathed the Sword of Ledestar, her shining blue blade ringing in the jeweled sheath. She raised her hands and called to the gods. "Divine beings of the universe! Take me to the lair of the Zoniliads!"  
"Sakura, no! You don't know what you're getting into!" Syaoran ran at her with frantic tears in his eyes. "I don't want to lose you, not again."  
"I have to, Syaoran," she whispered. "Don't wait up." And with that, she was gone.  
  
All right... how was it? Please comment! I would also appreciate it if you guys could email me with suggestions, likes and dislikes - that kind of stuff. Thanks for reading. ^-^ 


	3. What I Wanted to Say

Hey Ladies and Gents... I've decided to write another chapter because, well, I want to. I don't care that no one has reviewed... noo... I don't care. But hopefully someone will. So here's another one in an effort to remember what my story was going to be about in the first place.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, please don't sue me, this is an original work based on CLAMP's characters... bla bla bla you know the drill.  
  
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Sakura stalked the prey before her. They could not escape from her sharp eyes and powerful magic. She was tense with excitement and anticipation as she gripped the Sword of Ledestar at her side. Sakura could tell that the Sword knew her time had come. She vibrated and glowed with a neon blue that only Sakura could see. The Sword was as tense as she was.  
Kinomoto waited, hidden, at the edge of the castle courtyard, ready to run at any second. Where is an opening? I need an opening. She stared as hard as she could and focused all of her mental energy on a bush to her far right. Sweat started beading on her forehead. If I hadn't transported out of the palace, I would easily be able to do this. She finally caused the bush to burst into flame, calling all the attention of the guards. Now's my chance! Sakura made a break for it across the castle moat.  
She tumbled into the bushes on the opposite side just in time before the guards warily turned back to their jobs. They knew someone was out there, they just didn't know who. Sakura had never meant to go far when she teleported herself out of the Great Hall. As it turned out, she wasn't able to go far anyway. The travels of the past week had really taken a toll on her powers, and she was almost drained as a result. I should have slept here overnight to regain my strength, she thought. But then again, that would be jeopardizing the rest of the world.  
Sakura smirked. It was kind of funny that she had only gone to the castle courtyard. She made it sound as if she was going to where the Zoniliads were gathered. But even she did not know where that was. Hopefully she had fooled the king to believe that she had gone too far to be followed. Hopefully.  
The king... Sakura's grin disappeared at the thought. But then she regained her composure, thinking, It's better if I don't see him any more. He'll only have to let me go again. And that would be the third time. Besides, he's better off without me. The last thought sunk into Sakura's brain, stinging like an open wound. She made herself believe it anyway. The pain would reside in time.  
Sakura turned her attention back to the present, mentally slapping herself for letting her get lost in her own misery. If that happens in a fight, I'll be dead. She stayed low and ran to the dense forest beyond the castle. The guards had turned back to their lolling around, not taking any notice of the woman dressed in black. She straightened as she reached the edge of the forest, darting behind the massive trees. Looking back at the castle of her hometown, tears stung her eyes. I'm so sorry, Syaoran, but it's time for you to let go of me. I've been nothing but trouble for you. And with that, she sprinted into the forest, and towards the misty mountains beyond.  
  
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"Fuck!" Syaoran slammed his fist down on the golden throne. He sank down to the ground and let his misery overtake him. "I can't believe she's gone. And here I was, thinking that things would finally be getting back to normal. Ever since she left, my life had been nothing but blank thoughts and a void of nothingness. I even refused to speak to my father, my best friend in the world besides Sakura. Oh Sakura... why? Don't you know that you are the one I live for?"  
A knock sounded on the massive mahogany doors. Syaoran quickly wiped his eyes and fixed his disheveled robes. It wouldn't do for his subjects to see him out of control. Sitting back down in the throne, he tried to call out to the visitor. "Come in." His voice was shaky. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Enter, visitor."  
The door swung open slowly. A guard came in with an arrow. He bowed before the king. "Sire... we found this in the moat." He came forward and held out the arrow. Syaoran now saw the parchment tied on with a black and red ribbon.  
The king took the arrow with great care. He thought he recognized the emblem on the paper, but couldn't be sure because of the water stain. Could it be...?  
Syaoran pulled the parchment out from under the ribbon and unrolled it with shaking fingers. He almost dropped it when he saw what was inside. It was a letter addressed to him, as follows.  
  
Dear King Syaoran of Ledestar,  
I am sure that I will already be gone when you get this letter. Sorry  
that I had to give it in such a way, but I will not be able to tell  
you these things in person. This I already know, so I have prepared a  
letter in advance. I want to tell you everything that you don't know  
about me; all the things I have tried to tell you, but couldn't. I  
hope you understand how much the following things mean to me. First  
of all, about how I was really outlawed. I know that you think I was  
exiled because of too many broken rules. There was the arrow in the  
chandelier, too many illegal trips into town, selling castle items on  
the black market, talking back to my teachers, skipping class, getting  
into too many fights, using the training facilities after-hours, and  
whatnot. All this is true, plus much more. But the real reason... I  
can't believe I'm telling you this... the real reason is much worse. I  
helped an outlaw. I killed innocent civilians to help this outlaw. I  
murdered castle guards to help him. I put your father, the king, in  
jeopardy, along with the whole royal court and all of the elders.  
Why? Why, you ask? Because this outlaw was my father. Now that I  
know what it feels like to be cast out, I'm glad that I helped him. I  
hope you believe me on your own terms, because I'm not coming back to  
persuade you. I regret to say that this will be the last time you  
hear from me. Because of the present situation, I am walking towards  
my death with open arms. Because I am the descendent of the kings of  
old, my duty is to protect the world from Zoniliads, if the need  
rises. And apparently, the need has risen. I've seen it with my own  
eyes. So by the time you get this letter, I will have already gone  
off to save the world. How ironic does that sound? I fell like  
laughing bitterly right now, but I'm crying too hard to do so. Have  
you ever seen me cry? I think you have, but only in very intense  
situations. What am I saying? I sound like a fool. Here I am, the  
most skilled warrior/sorceress in the land, and I'm crying over  
knowing what my death will be. Actually, I take that back. I'm not  
crying because I know I'm going to die. I'm crying because I know  
that I'll have to leave you behind. I remember all the times we had  
together – you even skipped class with me a couple times. What I'm  
trying to say is, what I've been trying to say all along, is that ever  
since I've known you, you were the only thing I didn't want to leave  
behind. Now you are the only thing that I regret leaving. I know  
that this letter is going to make you want to come after me, but  
please don't. If you value our friendship, please don't. Even if I  
die, I want you to live. And if I don't die... I'll come back to you.  
No doubts. But please prepare yourself for the worst, because the  
worst is what's going to happen.  
All right... I wonder if I had you fooled. The real reason I wrote this is to tell you that...  
I love you.  
You will always be my little prince. That's the bottom line.  
Love forever,  
Sakura  
  
Syaoran kept his head down. "Did anyone open this letter before me?"  
"No, sire. You are the only one that's seen the contents."  
"You may be dismissed."  
"Yes, Majesty." The guard turned on his heels and walked briskly out of the room, not noticing a thing wrong with the king.  
Syaoran sat back in his throne and laid his head in his hands. Why couldn't I tell her how I felt? Why didn't I ever tell her? I had so many chances, but I just couldn't. Syaoran didn't even dwell on the real reason of her exile. Now his tears came in streams. He was sobbing quietly when a thought came to mind. He wiped his tears and stood up, calling to the guards outside the door.  
"Yes, sire?" one asked.  
"Get my horse ready. And tell the cook to pack enough food for a one- month journey."  
"Right away, Majesty." The guards shut the door, once again leaving the king alone with his thoughts.  
I can't let you die, Sakura. I'm coming after you.  
  
So... what's the feedback? I know this one was a little short, but that's all that seemed to fit in this chapter. Any more would be an overload to the chaos factor. Once again, please review. Fell free to email me at shaddow@twcny.rr.com. Thanks for reading. 


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